Microwave Protection

[FrankLLL]

I work in a large kitchen with a lot of large microwave ovens. one of the waiters brought a meter to work and showed how the m'wave ovens put out a lot of energy outside of the oven even when they were turned off, and much more when running. is it possible to build something that i could put in my pocket or wear that would protect me, or nullify that microwave energy around me as i work.

Thank You,
Frank

 

[Pommie]

Just ignore it or you'll end up wearing a foil hat.

Mike.

 

[dknguyen]

Kitchens are noisy. I'd worry about your hearing first.

 

[rjenkinsgb]

the m'wave ovens put out a lot of energy outside of the oven even when they were turned off

Whatever "meter" was in use was broken or some kind of scam, then.

A microwave oven is just a kind of radio transmitter feeding a closed metal box; RF energy is absorbed and dissipated as heat in whatever is in it.
When turned off, the transmitter is not active and there can not be any emission.

They are designed to shut down instantly as the door is opened (and the switches on that cut power) so the user does not get any accidental exposure!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I work in a large kitchen with a lot of large microwave ovens. one of the waiters brought a meter to work and showed how the m'wave ovens put out a lot of energy outside of the oven even when they were turned off, and much more when running. is it possible to build something that i could put in my pocket or wear that would protect me, or nullify that microwave energy around me as i work.

Utter rubbish - these toy meters are just that, toys, they are totally uncalibrated and their readings are utterly meaningless. Microwave ovens are highly restricted to what leakage is permissible, and having tested thousands (using correctly calibrated professional equipment) I can confirm that they DON'T leak!.

And they certainly don't put ANYTHING out when they aren't working, as is obvious - whatever the toy meter is reading, it isn't microwave leakage.

In all the ones I've tested, only two ever leaked, they were both the same Philips models where the doors opened downwards and only had a catch in one upper corner - and leaked slightly from the other top corner. In both cases, the ovens were well below permitted limits.

 

[FrankLLL]

Thank you all for your replies. I understand all that was said. The waiter said it was a professional combination rf ef emf meter as he does home wiring on the side. I would still like to know if such a gadget can be built that would cancel any such energy around me with out disturbing anything else.
Thank you

 

[Pommie]

Just wear the foil hat and you'll be fine.

Mike.

 

[JonSea]

And they say Electrotech is hostile towards new users. How do people get such wacky ideas?

Oh yeah, they read posts like this one. Frank asked a reasonable question; a question in an effort to learn something. This was an opportunity to educate and share information, and possibly get someone interested in electronics.

Instead of taking the opportunity to explain that:

A: There is no magic "personal shield" he can wear.

B. That the measurements are very suspect and probably wrong.

I know in your combined thousands of years of experience, you-all personally have never seen a leaking microwave, you DO NOT know the condition of the microwaves in this kitchen. Equipment in many restaurants lives a hard life, and you don't know who might have "fixed" these microwaves in the past.

Instead, you guys have all ridiculed the original poster and provided him approximately ZERO information.

Good show guys.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Thank you all for your replies. I understand all that was said. The waiter said it was a professional combination rf ef emf meter as he does home wiring on the side. I would still like to know if such a gadget can be built that would cancel any such energy around me with out disturbing anything else.
Thank you

No, there's no such thing, and no such energy to try and cancel out - whatever 'meter' he's using has nothing to do with detecting any imaginary leakage from a microwave oven - and such a 'combination' meter doesn't sound at all professional, and probably of no use to an electrician.

 

[alec_t]

In theory you could wear a suit of armour or chain-mail, grounded by a trailing wire, but it wouldn't be practical in a kitchen.

 

[Pommie]

Maybe the level of ridicule will make him believe us. Trying to have a sensible discussion about this is likely to give credibility to his worries.

Mike.

 

[dr pepper]

Here in the Uk commercial premises have to get microwaves checked for leakage once a year, I'm not sure if its a legal thing or whether its just a company policy.
Ours have always been fine.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Here in the Uk commercial premises have to get microwaves checked for leakage once a year, I'm not sure if its a legal thing or whether its just a company policy.

Not a legal requirement as far as I know, but neither is PAT testing, and a lot of places insist on that.

However, it's a complete waste of time, as I said above - microwave ovens don't leak - and if they do, there's usually an obvious reason for it (like the Philips where the doors don't latch reliably, or obvious damage to the door). You can cut a hole the size of a 50p piece straight through the front of the door, removing that section of metal gauze, and they still don't leak above permitted limits.

As a microwave service agent we were obliged to leakage test any oven we removed the top from (so I've tested thousands) - I could never quire understand the reasoning, as they don't leak with the top removed either?.

 

[Pommie]

Why did you remove the top?

Mike.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Why did you remove the top?

For repairing them, even simple things like replacing the bulb usually require the top removing.

 

[FrankLLL]

I am doing some studying and find that microwaves are Radio Frequency waves. I also find that there is a device called a RF jammer. How would I build this device aimed at microwaves?

 

[dr pepper]

Nige, your right in #13, no competition there, some organizations though demand stuff like that.

Fankllll, a jammer doesnt generally remove or delete radio waves, it interferes with them, ie if you transmit audio tones on the same frequency as a radio station, and the person you target receives a higher signal from you than the radio station pretty much all they get is the audio tones.
Another more modern way is to use up all the channels on a microwave band, disabling devices.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I am doing some studying and find that microwaves are Radio Frequency waves. I also find that there is a device called a RF jammer. How would I build this device aimed at microwaves?

There are no microwaves to 'jam', there's no leakage, as it obvious by the fact that he gets readings without them operating - whatever useless meter he's using it's not a microwave leakage detector.

As you seem bizzarely 'scared' of non-existent microwave radiation already, how do you think actually adding some would make things any 'better'. Jamming introduces another much more powerful RF source to over-ride the existing one you wish to jam - it would also be highly illegal, and seriously dangerous adding an open microwave transmission to a kitchen.

 

[Dr_Doggy]

to detect microwaves you just need a meter at the frequency they work at.,.. jammers make louder frequencies to interrupt communication signals , but if you used it at the microwave frequency you will just be creating even stronger emissions

as mentioned:
a microwave does not emit if not powered ... proof that your friend is a fake ... or you have encountered some nukes
a microwave should not emit if it is properly shielded (door closes)
a farady cage is the shield that keeps the waves inside ... or for you the waves outside .... aka tinfoil hat

 

[Pommie]

This guy has to be a troll. No one could ignore so many people through stupidity alone.

Mike.